Tuesday, May 01, 2007

The Old Lamplighter...

In an effort to revive the romantic atmosphere of Old Prague, the city is planting gas-lit lamps throughout historic districts that had been illuminated by electricity.... “Pride in high-tech has changed into nostalgia,” said Pavel Klega, one of Prague’s four deputy mayors.

“The historical streets are charming in and of themselves, but the reintroduction of gas lamps would make the atmosphere even more reminiscent of old times. It would bring back the softer, warmer, more romantic feel that is so frequent a motif for sidewalk artists,” Klega wrote in an effusive email about the new — or rather old — lights.

It’s a trend that has spread across Europe, even to EuroDisney in France.

Berlin is the European city with the most gas lamps — 40,000, according to Klega. London, Dublin, Kraków, Zagreb and a handful of other cities have retrofitted their streets as well.